ReImagine Jobs Spotlight Series 2021

ReImagine Jobs Spotlight Series 2021

2022 Essay Contest

High School Student Contest (1)

ReImagine Jobs is launching the Your Sustainable Future contest! This contest, open only to Southwest Pennsylvania students in grades 9-12 who are at least 13 years old, invites you to submit a creative entry that speaks to what sustainability means to you and how you envision using your talents, skills, and ambitions to cultivate a vibrant and thriving future for our region! Check out the question and submission criteria below along with a timeline and sample judging rubric. We encourage you to use the wealth of information listed on our website (www.reimaginejobs.org) as a resource. Cash prizes and job shadowing opportunities will be offered for the top three submissions, and the contest will be judged by five professionals working in the region's sustainable economy. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Question: How do you imagine your future career path creating a more sustainable world?

First Place Entry $500 Second Place Entry $350 Third Place Entry $150 (1)
Contest Timeline (1)

Submit digital entries by 11:59pm on 5/31/22 via the form below. Non-digital entries should be submitted between 9am and 6pm on 5/31/22 at the Protect PT office (3344 PA-130 suite d, Harrison City, PA 15636). Name and contact info should only appear on the submission form, not on the entry itself. All entries must include a title either on the submission or on the cover page.

In the entry or the accompanying artist statement, the applicant should

  • clearly define their understanding of the term "sustainable"
  • Identify one of the 9 sectors from www.reimaginejobs.org that your career goals fit into; if your future career does not fit into any of the sectors, identify a new sector that includes that career and explain why that sector is important for the sustainable economy. 
  • Reference at least two employers or entrepreneurs in your chosen sector who inspire you. You can pull from the list of exhibitors at https://reimaginejobs.org/opportunity/, the job postings listed in the ReImagine Jobs newsletters at https://reimaginejobs.org/newsletters/, the companies and organizations featured in the ReImagine Jobs Spotlight webinar series https://reimaginejobs.org/jobs-spotlight/, or others not featured by ReImagine Jobs.

Acceptable submission mediums and requirements are as follows:

  1. ESSAY OR CREATIVE PROSE
    • Submitted as a PDF
    • No more than 1200 words
  2. POEM OR WRITTEN SONG
    • Between 750-1200 words
    • Submitted as a PDF
  3. VIRTUAL GRAPHIC ART (SUCH AS GRAPHIC DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY ETC)
    • Must be accompanied by an artist statement (250 words or less) describing the piece and how it meets the criteria
    • Submitted as a JPG
  4.  NON-VIRTUAL ART (SUCH AS PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, SCULPTURES, WOODWORK, METALWORK, ETC) 
    • Must be accompanied by an artist statement (250 words or less) describing the piece and how it meets the criteria
    • See in-person submission details below
  5. VIDEO OR AUDIO (SUCH AS SHORT FILMS, ANIMATIONS, MUSICAL PERFORMANCES, ORATIONS, ETC)
    • Must be accompanied by an artist statement (250 words or less) describing the piece and how it meets the criteria
    • Maximum 5 minutes 
    • Submitted as .MP4 or .MOV

September 2021 Spotlight

Land Reclamation

pinetree
recycle
people
building
wheat

Wednesday, September 29th, 2021

Featured speakers:

  • John Dawes of Foundation for Pennsylvania Watersheds

  • Bobby Hughes of Eastern PA Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation

  • Becca Simon of Grounded Strategies

Moderator: Cindy Rogers of The Evergreen Conservancy

Watch to learn about opportunities and careers in land reclamation and conservation in Southwest Pennsylvania.

August 2021 Spotlight

Grid Modernization

satellite
Carcharger)
Renewable Energy
building
wifi

Wednesday, August 25th, 2021

Featured speakers:

  • Sara Daugherty of BRITE Energy Innovators

  • Garretson Oester of ReImagine Appalachia

Moderator: Amanda Woodrum of ReImagine Appalachia

Watch to learn about opportunities and careers in grid modernization in Southwest Pennsylvania.

July 2021 Spotlight

Green Chemistry

testtube
people
wheat
building
water

Wednesday, July 28th, 2021

Featured speakers:

  • Lalit Chordia of Thar Process

  • Roger Berry of Sudoc

Moderator: Hope Barnstead of Patagonia

Watch to learn about opportunities and careers in green chemistry in Southwest Pennsylvania.

June 2021 Spotlight

Recreation, Tourism & Hospitality

pinetree
canoe
bike
bus
sun

Wednesday, June 28th, 2021

Featured speakers:

  • Dustin Drew of DCNR

  • Bryan Perry of the GAP trail Conservancy

  • Jeffery Morris of Roxby Development

  • Stephan Bontrager of Riverlife

Moderator: Bonnie McGill of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History

Watch to learn about opportunities and careers in recreation, tourism & hospitality in Southwest Pennsylvania.

May 2021 Spotlight

Workforce Development

people
wifi
pinetree
computer
wheelchair

Wednesday, May 26th, 2021

Featured speakers:

  • Rev. Dr. T. Charles Howell of Mon Valley Initiative

  • Ilyssa Manspeizer of Landforce

  • Jacob Israel Hannah of Coalfield Development

  • Kimmy Ferry of KEYS Service Corps AmeriCorps

  • Aiden Neary of Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC)

Moderator: Lindsey Disler of the United Steelworkers Union

Watch to learn about opportunities and careers in workforce development in Southwest Pennsylvania.

April 2021 Spotlight

Sustainable Construction

satellite
people
recycle
building
wheelchair

Wednesday, April 28th, 2021

Featured speakers:

  • Zosia Brown of Nexxi

  • Craig Rippole of Trinity Development

  • Jeff Murray of Cannon Design

  • Monika Serrano of Turner Construction

  • Andrew Ellsworth of Doors Unhinged

  • Nick Rubenstein of Evolve EA

Moderator: Leslie Montgomery of Green Building Alliance

Watch to learn about opportunities and careers in sustainable construction in Southwest Pennsylvania.

March 2021 Spotlight

Regenerative Agriculture

wheat
people
Renewable Energy
testtube
silo

Wednesday, March 24th, 2021

Featured speakers:

  • Darlene Livingston of Pennsylvania Farmlink

  • Laura Codori of Worm Return

  • Dan Little of InvolveMINT

  • Brac Webb of Fifth Season

Moderator: Sara Nicholas of Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture (PASA)

Watch as we take a deeper look at the regenerative agriculture initiatives and opportunities happening in Southwest Pennsylvania

February 2021 Spotlight

Renewable Energy

Renewable Energy
people
sun
building
water

Wednesday, February 24th, 2021

Featured speakers:

  • Ron Gdovic of Windstax Energy

  • Mel Koleber of Rye Development

  • Greg Winks of Solbridge Energy Advisors

Moderator: Gina Johnson of Sustainable Pittsburgh

Watch as we take a deeper look at the renewable energy initiatives and opportunities happening in Southwest Pennsylvania

January 2021 Spotlight

Sustainable Transportation

Carcharger)
people
bike
pinetree
bus

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021

Featured speakers:

  • Joshua Malloy of Pittsburghers for Public Transit

  • Justine Russo of PITT OHIO

  • Grant Ervin of the City of Pittsburgh

  • Josh Banyas of the Port Authority of Allegheny County

  • Sarah Olexsak of Duquesne Light Co

Moderator: Lucinda Beattie of Western Pennsylvanians for Passenger Rail.

Watch as we take a deeper look at the sustainable transportation initiatives and opportunities happening in Southwest Pennsylvania

Congratulations to Our Winners

Clean Air Council’s Re-Imagine Beaver County Essay Contest 2020

presenting the winning essays

"Two Green Thumbs Up for Beaver County"
Max Ujhazy

"Bike Trails:  The Best Path Forward for Developing Beaver County’s Rivers."
Max Furman

Sponsored by Clean Air Council in partnership with The Climate Reality Project and The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund.

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